New range of the Brazilian endemic Platythyrea exiguap
(Hymenoptera: Formicidae: Platythyreini)

 

Received 15-II-2001. Accepted 06-IV-2001.

We report here two new records of the ant Platythyrea exigua Kempf, 1964, a Brazilian endemic: a winged female has been collected in the Parque Estadual Guajará Mirim (10 o 19’ S 64 o 33’ W), Rondônia State, Brazil (# 5248, 28.I.1998, J.R.M. Santos); a worker has been collected in the experimental areas of the Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, CEPLAC (14 o 45’ S 39 o 18’ W), Ilhéus, Bahia State, Brazil (18.IX.2000, B. Gobin). The only available geographic information about this very rare species previously reported in literature is that of the type series, found by K. Lenko at Utiariti (13 o 02’S 58 o 16’W), along the Rio Papagaio, Mato Grosso State, Brazil (Kempf, 1964). It extends the known range of the species both 750 km west in the southern region of the Amazonian Basin and 2 000 km east to the Atlantic forest biome where it is expected that this species forms an isolated population, as it is the case of other ant taxa living in the both wet forest formations. References: Bolton, B. 1995. A new general catalogue of the ants of the world. Harvard University, Cambridge, 504 p. Brown, W.L., Jr. 1975. Contributions toward a reclassification of the Formicidae. V. Ponerinae, tribes Platythyreini, Cerapachyini, Cylindromyrmecini, Acanthostichini and Aenictogitini. Search Agricult. 5: 1-115. Kempf, W.W. 1964. Uma nova Platythyrea do Brasil. Rev. Brasil. Entomol. 11: 141-144. Kempf, W.W. 1972. Catálogo abreviado das formigas da Região Neotropical (Hymenoptera, Formicidae). Stud. Entomol. 15 (NS): 3-344. Vanzolini, P.E. & N. Papavero. 1968. Indice dos topônimos contidos na carta do Brasil 1: 1 000 000 do IBGE. FAPESP, São Paulo. 199 p.

Jacques Hubert Charles Delabie

U.P.A. Laboratório de Mirmecologia, Convênio UESC/CEPLAC, Centro de Pesquisas do Cacau, CEPLAC, C.P. 7, 45600-000 Itabuna-BA, & Departamento de Ciências Agrárias e Ambientais, Universidade Estadual de Santa Cruz, 45660-000 Ilhéus-BA, Brazil. E-mail: delabie@nuxnet.com.br - (CNPq project 46.3452/00-3)

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